Holder or cup for catalytic lighters



Aug. 22, 1944. G. P. scHMrrT HOLDER OR CUP FOR CATALYTIG LIGHTERS Filed March 1, 1945 INVENTOR. GEORGE PHIL/P SCHMITZ," www ATTOKNEK Patented Aug. 22, 1944 HOLDER oncUP FOR dA'rALYrIo LIGHTERS George Philip .'Schmitt, New York, N. Y.

,ApplicationMa'rch 1, 1943, serial No. 477,580

.y In Mexico March 19, 1942 2 Claims.

This invention relates tolighters which employ a catalyst for igniting cigarettes, cigars, pipes and the like, wherein the vapor of alcohol or other vaporizable liquid is employed for effecting such reaction upon the catalyst, in the presence of air, as Will render such catalyst incandescent, so that a cigarette or the like applied thereto and drawn upon may be ignited.

More particularly this invention has reference to improvements in the cup or holder which contains the catalyst.

Catalytic lighters of the above type operate on the principles that platinum black or other catalytic compound can be made incandescent under the influence of vapor of certain volatile liquid in the presence of atmospheric air. The temperature resulting from the heat produced by the chemical reaction of the vaporizable fuel and air mixture in the presence of the catalyst is sufficiently elevated to ignite the cigarette when applied to or near the catalyst, and drawn upon.

In one of the types of lighters to which the invention has reference to, the catalyst is contained in a receptacle, cup or holder having a perforated bottom through which the vaporizable fuel passes for coaction with the catalyst, a screen or perforated disc is disposed above the top of the catalyst acting as a shield or front covering for the catalyst which enables a cigarette applied thereto to be quickly ignited, and at the same time protects the catalyst which is usually in the form of spongy platinum composition, from rupturing While in use.

In order to provide sufficient passages for the fuel vapor for contact with as much of the surface of the catalyst as possible, the catalyst should be spaced from the internal Wall and bottom of the holder or cup.

It is an object of the present invention to provide, in a catalyst unit, for the free flow of the fuel vapor over substantially the entre bottom surface of the catalyst pill by providing a space between the said pill and the bottom of the catalyst holder.

It is another object of this invention to raise the catalyst pill slightly above the bottom of the holder, thus providing a fuel chamber below the catalyst pill securing a more uniform passage of fuel vapors through substantially the entire pill, this being accomplished by providing ridges in the bottom of the catalyst holder.

It is a still further object of the present invention to facilitate the free flow of fuel vapors along the side wall of the pill by making the catalyst pill of slightly smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the holder.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating embodiments of which the invention may be realized and in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view (partly broken away) of a catalyst unit embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken through Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the catalyst holder or shell shown in a modied form; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 3. A

The catalyst unit generally designated by the numeral I consists of shell or cup II having the reduced bottom portion I2, thereby forming a shelf portion I3. The bottom I4 is provided with a central orice I5, preferably having itssurrounding wall I5a raised.

A plurality of indentations IE are provided in the bottom I4 of the holder, thus raising the cata.- lyst pill i9 from the said bottom and thus establishing a vapor passage I'I between the pill I9 and bottom I4 of holder II.

The catalyst pill I9, which is the active element and usually comprises platinum black composition, is slightly smaller in diameter than the inside of the shell portion I2, thus creating additional vapor space I'Ia around the peripheral Wall of the pill.

The holder or housing I I is flared outwardly asindicated at I8 to facilitate the entrance of the cigarette.

The top surface of the pill I9 is preferably covered by the ne-meshed screen 2|, which is held in place together with the catalyst pill I9, by a retainer ring 22, forced down into shell II and made to rest against shelf portion I3.

The shell 25 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in a modified form consists of the side wall Ii with the constructed side portion I2 and the shelf portion I3'. The bottom portion III of holder II is provided with a central orifice I5 having its Walls raised upward.

Bottom I4 of holder II' is further provided with raised circumferentially arranged arcuate portions 26 interrupted by a plurality of passages 21 communicating space 30 with space II. The construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception, however, of the substitution of elongated raised portions 26 in the bottom I4 for the circular raised portions IB in the floor I4 of the holder illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

As changes of construction can be made within the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a catalytic lighter of the flameless type, a cup, a catalyst disk in said cup, said cup having an opening in its bottom and a raised wall surrounding said opening, said bottom having raised portions in spaced relation to each other and spaced laterally from said raised wall, said catalyst being seated upon said raised wall and said raised portions whereby said catalyst may be supported above the unraised portion of said bot tom whereby communication between said opening and the spaces between said catalyst and the unraised portion of said bottom may be provided for the passage of vaporizable fuel to said catalyst.

2. In a catalytic lighter of the flameless type, a cup, a catalyst disk in said cup, said cup having an opening in its bottom and a raised wall surrounding said opening, said bottom having raised portions in spaced relation to each other and spaced laterally from said raised wall, said catalyst being seated upon said raised wall and said raised portions whereby said catalyst may be supported above the unraised portion of said bottom whereby communication between said opening and the spaces between said catalyst and the unraised portion of said bottom may be provided for the passage of vaporizable fuel to said catalyst, and said catalyst being smaller in diameter than the diameter of the adjacent side wall portion of the cup whereby a space communicating with the spaces between said raised portions is provided for the passage of said fuel.

GEORGE PHILIP SCHMITT. 

